The Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) founded by actor-politician Vijay has slammed the Tamil Nadu government for “dodging” the subject of caste census. At its executive committee meeting held on November 3, the party also passed resolutions against the Union government’s Waqf Amendment Bill and One Nation One Election scheme, and demanded that education be transferred to the State list from the Concurrent list. A total of 26 resolutions were passed at the meeting. 

The meeting was held at the party headquarters in Chennai’s Panayur and was attended by TVK high command, district secretaries, and general secretary Bussy Anand, besides Vijay himself. 

The TVK has taken a strong stance regarding the nation and state-wide demand for a caste census. “The people will not believe in the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) who claim that they are walking the path of social justice but have not conducted the caste census in order to bring in that social justice,” the TVK said in its resolution. It added that the DMK’s “attempt to dodge conducting the caste census by blaming the Union government will not work.” In this regard, the party has demanded that the state government undertake measures to conduct the caste census immediately. 

Vijay’s party also slammed the Union government’s ‘One Nation One Election’ proposal to hold simultaneous Legislative Assembly and Parliamentary polls. Condemning the scheme and calling it undemocratic, the party alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government was working covertly and directly against the principles of democracy. 

“It is not only the duty but the right of Opposition parties to bring forward the real problems of the public and to oppose anti-people policies. The government’s attempt to inhibit that right through backlash, by not allowing the press to function freely, by mounting social media attacks on individuals, are all the approaches of anti-people forces. We condemn such politics by anyone including the DMK ruling in Tamil Nadu,” the TVK added.

The party also slammed and demanded the revocation of the Union government’s proposed Waqf Amendment Bill, saying it “goes against the rights of Muslims.” The Bill is currently under consideration of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) after furious opposition in Parliament. 

The TVK has further demanded that the Union government transfer education to the State list from the Concurrent list, which they pointed out, would enable the state government to ban the controversial National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission in medical programs. The party also criticised the BJP for controversies regarding language rights, the Tamil identity, and the Tamil Thai Vazhthu. 

Further, it denounced the construction of the second airport at Parandhur and the expansion of Neyveli Lignite Corporation — both of which have been opposed by farmers and environmentalists. 

Regarding crimes against women and children, the TVK has demanded that the Union government bring in stricter laws and sentence the guilty to the “highest punishment.”

The TVK further passed resolutions on: following in the footsteps of  K Kamaraj, DR BR Ambekdkar and Periyar; Coimbatore metro rail; Sri Lankan Tamils and fishermen’s rights; alcohol prohibition; and rise in electricity tariffs. The party also reiterated that “secular social justice” was their ideological stance and thanked party cadres and supporters who made the TVK’s first state-wide conference on October 27 a “success.”